Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-30
TRADING WITH GREENLAND.
Cryolite the Principal Article of
Commerce i'll the Icy Land.

Cryolite the Principal Article of
Commerce i'll the Icy Land.
NEW YORK. Jan. 29.-Dickens has
some reference to South street, New
YORK, and the maritime life there, the
great ships sending their bow sprits half
way across the muddy thoroughfare,
ships that have come from all over the
world, and Will soon be in far-ofi seas
again doing the errands OF commerce.
1t was down in this tarry region OF ships,
sailors, lonCshoremen and ship brokers,
of sail lofts, ship chambers aud tug and
lighter companies that l talked with two
old-time sea captains the other day.
One Of these hardy navigators was a tail,
tull-taced, well built, benevolent looking
man, Capt. Louchlan Mckay. In com
mand OF the Sovereign OF the seas, one OF
the famous old clippers that once
made America proud OF their merchant
marine, Capt. Mckay left New York for
SAN Francisco IN August, 1891; the freight
| money amounted to $S5, 900, very large
sum TO day; a barrel OF flour sold in San
Francisco in those days OF gold fever for
about $40. on Valparaiso, in storm.
Capt. Mckay's ship was dsmasted, but
rugged up again, and reached her desti-
nation in l02 days, which was a quick
passage. Dlscharging her cargo, the gal
liant clipper sailed for Honolulu and load
ed with oil for New York, and made the
extraordinary time of eiShty-two DAYS.
For 10, 600 miles she sailed without tack
ing or wearing, and IN ten consecutive
days she made ), 50G miles. But the days
OF the noble old clippers are gone, and
went to see this veteran of the sea about
the ships that trade with Greenland He
and a business associate own seven
vessels engaged in this strange trade;
nc other American commercial vessels
10 to the far-otf land Of Kane, Sir John
Franklin and so many other gallant men
who have braved the rigors OF It's highest
latltudss. The vessels 20 out in ballast,
or although Greenland imports wheat,
brandy, coffee, sugar, tobacco and fire
wood, it is not from this country. They
bring back metal termed cry0llte, which
tn " obtain at Il port called lVIgtut, on
the southwest coast OF Greenland. lisa
bleak country even in int Snort summer,
during two months of which, in June and
july, the sun is always above horizon.
Moses. stunted SHRUBS, dwalfsh trees
ana huckleberry bushes are about the
only yegetation, and The bare noun AIMS
IN the grip of great glaciers aud the gen
orally dead and desoiate aspect of the
country make 1t appear as strange and
unreal as that gray corpse of
world, the moon. CryOlIe looks lik
ice, and hence the name slgu, iies Ice
stone. 1t Is all taken to Philadelphia and
ls used IN manufacturing soda. alum. I've,
porcelain, piano keys, door knobs, clock
dlalS and other arLIcles. Ihe seven barks
in tie TRADE each carry about 800 tons of
this STRANGE mineral aud make fourteen
voyages IN Il year. Last year they brought
S,4CO TONS TO this country. Those at lVig-
tut are the only known cryolite mines in
the world. Specimens of this mineral
have been found IN the Urdl mountains
and on Pixies Peak, but no other
actual mines but those IN Green
land are known. 1t takes twenty
days to 20 to lvI2tut and thirty to return.
The Danish government owns the mines
and they are worked by company that
pays royalty TO that government. Tne
vessels In this trade are built Unusually
strong in order to withstand the rigUTs Of
that frozen region; they have steel plates
on the bow, iron on the ST. m or forward
part Of the vessel, double planKs on the
sides, and are filled in WITH timber, and
yet three years ago one OF the stanch
barks was lost in the ice and one that
reached the open sea was never alter
ward heard from. the danger Is not so
much from icebergs as from the great
blocks OF floating ice or "fow ice" in he
nautical phrase, and in September and
Ool ODER there is great danger from sunken
ice. For eight months OF the year or in
the winter season it is q CONTIGUOUS night,
and then navigation is especially danger
Gus. During the four summer
months of the wear vegetation makes
apid progress. but it is Of a dwarf
ish character, and the tsllest trees do not
exceed eighteen feet. The greatest re
corded cold OF Greenland is 80 degs be
low zero and the greatest heat 30 dezs
above, while the average tor the year is
3 dogs. above zero. The little port whence
the supply OF cryolite is obtained has
population OF about $50 miners and as
many EsquimauX. 1t is not place that
invites civilization, and the natives. de-
bauChed by The whisky OF the Caucasians
till the sale Of mat beverage has been in
terdiCted, probably think they do not lose
much by liSIug in what tho civilized
usually regard as lost land, captive in
the grasp of the Arctic terTOrs that guard
the awful approaches 10 that mysterious
and fatal objective point OF human ambi-
ton and daring-the North Pole.
OSCAR WILLOUGHBY RIGGS.